


A Sunday In Late August of 1899

by duraznero



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Summer of 1899, more to be added - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-20 03:56:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17614985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duraznero/pseuds/duraznero
Summary: Fate is hanging over Albus Dumbledore and his loved ones like a sword of Damocles. He has the chance to save them — if he plays his cards right.





	A Sunday In Late August of 1899

**Author's Note:**

> Even though the idea for this fic has been floating and was semi-developed since early December, due to other fics I was writing, I only got around to actually start it recently. But it has lowkey been my baby ever since so I'm really excited to share it with you.
> 
> No beating around the bush: the first chapter starts on the very least day of the "two months of insanity" - that's the initial premise of this fic, and it's supposed to feel a little "slice of life-y" as the reader is dropped right into the story. 
> 
> Also worth mentioning that I go with the book descriptions of the characters simply because.  
>  
> 
> A billion thanks go to @silkoversteel who did a very in-depth job as a beta! This first chapter would not be the same without you, Lexy <3.

The first thing Albus noticed upon waking was the intense heat that lay over him like an additional blanket, suffocating him.

Through narrow eyes, he saw that the sun had already risen and was now blazing right into his room. He had forgotten to close the curtains, mostly out of habit; he was used to having them open so that Gellert’s owl could come and go as he pleased. From today forth however, they wouldn’t need to exchange letters anymore. 

Two days earlier, Albus had Apparated to London and ordered a portkey to take himself, Gellert and Ariana from the Leaky Cauldron to Regnéville-sur-Mer, a Wizarding village in Normandy. It was set to activate at nine o’clock tonight. The plan was to stay in Northern France for a few days and then they would start their travels across the European continent. 

At this thought, excitement begin to flood through Albus, just as it had done the previous evening. At the same time, it was joined by another, perhaps stronger, feeling; fear. Even though it was his dearest wish to leave Godric’s Hollow behind and with it everything that prevented him from reaching his full potential, Albus had yet to inform his siblings of his plan.

It had been a week since he and Gellert had agreed that it was best to bring Ariana with them. However, Albus had failed to inform them because he dreaded Aberforth’s reaction. Knowing Aberforth, he would explode at the mere idea of Albus leaving, let alone Ariana. Albus knew he was only avoiding the inevitable confrontation, but perhaps, he thought, in the face of urgency, Aberforth would agree to let them go?

The giddiness coursing through him dissipated and was replaced by anxiety and frustration  
He groaned and rolled over in his bed, his bones feeling as though they were turning into lead. The idea of not getting up was suddenly quite tempting, but Albus forced himself to throw back the thin blanket and finally get up. 

Even without the blanket, the heat was still unbearable. The air was heavy and humid despite it being — according to a quick look at his watch which he picked up from his bedside table — not even ten o’clock. It hadn’t rained in two weeks and it was only a matter of time before a thunderstorm would roll in. Albus hoped that by that time, he would not be on the British Isles anymore.

After his morning routine, he walked downstairs into the kitchen with his hair still wet, not bothering with a drying spell. He was surprised to see his brother was already sitting at the table, biting into a piece of bread with his usual blackcurrant jam. Aberforth raised an eyebrow when he caught sight of Albus.

“Look who decided to grace us with his presence! It’s our dearly beloved brother. I almost forgot what he looks like.”

Albus didn’t even bother acknowledging Aberforth; he didn’t have the energy to argue with him, especially not while he was hungry. Instead, he turned to smile at Ariana, who was sitting across from Aberforth.

“Good morning, Ariana. How did you sleep?”

Ariana didn’t reply right away; she was chewing on her slice of bread with lime curd on it.

“Good gracious, you still know her name!” Aberforth said with mock surprise, looking at Albus with wide eyes. 

“Stop being mean,” Ariana murmured as she took a small sip of grape juice. “I slept good, Albus. Where were you last night? I missed you at the dinner table.”

Albus raised his eyebrows; Ariana had never commented on his absence from home before. 

“I know you were with Gellert - ” Aberforth scoffed loudly and Albus had to resist glaring at him, “- but we made shepherd’s pie yesterday, using Mum’s recipe.”

Guilt prickled uncomfortably within Albus’ chest and he frowned down at the table, sighing deeply.

“Ariana, I’m so sorry. It won’t—”

He stopped himself before he could continue. Of course it wouldn’t happen again; after today, Ariana would never be apart from him. She would be safe alongside him and Gellert as they hunted for the Hallows, leaving Aberforth to focus on his studies. 

Lifting his gaze, he stood up and walked around to Ariana, kneeling next to her chair.

“I promise you, it won’t happen again,” he said gently, taking her hand and smiling softly. “You know I’ll always take care of you, right?” 

When their eyes met, a thought from his sister’s mind surfaced so strongly that it almost flung itself at him, even without him voluntarily using Legilimency on her.

_Then why aren’t you now?_

“Yes, I know,” Ariana said, a hint of a smile on her face as she gently touched Albus’ cheek. But knowing what she _really_ thought made him look away in shame at having failed taking care of her this whole summer and he swallowed hard. All that wouldn't matter anymore though; he was going to make up for it and ensure that Ariana never had to live like this.

He got up and sat down next to her, cutting himself a piece of bread. Aberforth was chewing his own piece, looking at Albus with such indignation that it was a wonder Albus didn’t burst into flame. Albus continued to pay him no mind, reaching forward for the raspberry jam. 

“Any plans for today?” Aberforth didn’t even bother to hide the accusatory tone in his voice. Albus took a breath to maintain his composure before answering. 

“Yes, actually. Not that it’s any of your business,” he replied evenly, spreading the jam onto his bread. 

_Coward. It is more than his business if you’re gonna take Ariana with you._

Albus shook his head at this incriminating thought as Aberforth let out a barking laugh.

“‘None of my business’? I’m your bloody brother, if it’s not my or Ari’s business, whose is it then?” he sneered and downed the rest of his tea in one single gulp. “Actually, don’t answer that. Hearing his name once already ruined my day.”

When Aberforth continued eating, Albus saw this as a sign that the discussion was over and with a wave of his wand, summoned the teapot to himself. Ariana stiffened as it sailed towards them and looked at Aberforth, who merely glared at Albus. Albus simply raised his hands in a calming gesture in response. 

They had a semi-official ‘no magic during meals’ rule, which had been implemented by their mother for as long as they could remember. Kendra never wanted magic displayed in front of Ariana, but not because she was afraid of it, no. In fact, it was quite the opposite. 

Albus remembered the times he would entertain Ariana with new charms he had learned and sometimes with those he had invented himself. She would always watch him with utter fascination in her eyes and clap loudly when his little show ended. Albus would then bow as if he was in front of a big audience. They never told their mother about it; according to her, Ariana seeing her brothers use magic would only upset her since she couldn’t do the same. In reality, Ariana was enthralled by magic and that was what had scared Kendra. 

Sometimes Albus wondered how exactly Ariana had accidentally killed their mother. Maybe Ariana had tried to imitate a spell she had seen, maybe even one of his, and in her frustration of not being able to, had lashed out.

They would never know, as he would never have the courage to ask and Albus thought perhaps it was better that way. 

He was just in the process of preparing his second slice when a sharp knock on the door startled all three of them. Instead of waiting for a response, whoever it was simply opened the door and entered the house. The sound of boots on wood echoed softly in the hallway and then a boy, barely younger than Albus and half a head shorter than him, stood in the threshold to the kitchen. 

Blonde curls stuck to his cheeks and he ran his fingers through them, so they were out of his face. His intelligent forget-me-not blue eyes crinkled and his dimples became visible as he gave Albus a charming smile. Albus felt his mood lift suddenly as he smiled back at him. Had they been alone, he would’ve stood up and given their guest a proper kiss as a greeting.

“Good morning,” Gellert Grindelwald said cheerfully. His eyes twinkled as he looked from Albus to Ariana, completely ignoring Aberforth who was staring at him with utter loathing.

Just as Albus opened his mouth and made a motion to get out of his chair, a palm was slammed onto the kitchen table. Ariana gasped and her glass tipped over, grape juice spilling over her light blue dress. 

“ _Meine Güte_ , I’m so sorry, Ariana! Let me fix it.” Gellert walked three steps in her direction and reached for the wand in his back pocket when Aberforth jumped from his chair. 

“What the hell are _you_ doing here?”

Gellert stopped dead in his tracks, his gaze becoming icy as it settled on Aberforth and for a moment Albus was sure that his brother would pull out his wand with the intention to blast Gellert back into the hallway. He rested his hand on his pocket, ready to take his wand should the situation escalate. 

“This isn’t your house and I’ll be damned if you think you can just walk in here without any shame as if you mean anything to any of us!” Aberforth spat and walked slowly around the table.

“You behave towards your guests like that, in front of your little sister? I already knew you had no manners, but this is a new low, even for you. Do you want her to follow your example later in life?” Gellert asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. He grinned with an ease that made Aberforth’s face go from pink to crimson.

“I’ll behave towards guests in front of my sister however it pleases me! Now get your scrawny ass out of my family’s home!” 

“ _Aberforth_!” Albus exclaimed, unable to stay quiet any longer. He got up and hurried to put himself between his brother and Gellert. “That’s _enough_! Do you even _hear_ what you’re saying right now? Sit down; I won’t tell you again.”

Despite his surprise and anger toward his brother, Albus resisted taking out his own wand. He knew that would only provoke Aberforth further and he didn’t want that to happen, especially not today. Besides, he was sure Aberforth wouldn’t dare to curse his own brother and even if he did, Albus knew that he would be quicker in conjuring a shield charm. 

“Of course you’d say that, Albus -” Aberforth took a step back, his expression both pained and disgusted, “ - Because you care more about _a complete stranger_ than your own siblings!”

“Don’t talk about things you don’t understand!” Gellert snapped. “Now, either let me help your sister or do it yourself, provided you are able to.” A smirk formed on his face as he chuckled darkly. 

“ _Stop fighting_!”

All three of them spun around to look at Ariana, who had gotten up from her chair and was standing on it, looking down at them with her eyes ablaze. Her nostrils were flared and the muscles in her jaw were working. Immediately, the boys’ demeanor changed; Gellert slowly put his wand back into his pocket. Albus put up his hands to reassure her nothing was going to happen and Aberforth rushed to her. 

“Hey, Ari, calm down, will you? It’s alright.” He waved his wand, murmured an incantation and the spilled juice was sucked out of Ariana’s dress. “There’s nothing for you to get upset about.”

Albus took a deep breath and made a decision. He turned toward Gellert and tilted his head toward the opening that led to the hallway. Without a word, they left the kitchen together, Albus feeling his brother’s glare on his back as though it were a dagger. 

“So, where are we going?” Gellert asked as Albus led him out of the house, as if he didn’t already know. “Also, why is your hair wet?”

Albus smiled at the amusement in Gellert’s voice as they walked towards the fields in the distance. 

“I didn’t bother with a drying spell today. Besides, it’ll dry quickly in the heat.” Albus sighed and kicked a pebble in frustration as they passed the cemetery.

“Well, with the way your brother reacted to me trying to help Ariana, I can’t imagine how he took the news about us leaving tonight,” Gellert mused lightly. 

“Yes, well, that remains to be seen,” Albus murmured with his gaze on the ground, putting his hands into his pockets. Albus heard Gellert’s footsteps come to a halt and Albus chanced a look at him. Gellert’s eyes were wide for a moment before he burst into laughter. He was so loud, that Albus half expected a priest to exit the church and tell them to be quiet.

“You are _unbelievable_ , Albus Dumbledore.” Gellert shook his head and grinned, moving close to Albus and turning him around so that they faced each other.

“Unbelievably unprepared, yes. I have no idea how they— how Aberforth will take the news.”

“You’re more worried about your oafish brother, than your sister who could probably kill an entire village?”

Albus frowned at Gellert, whose sunny expression suddenly became apologetic. 

“I’m sorry, that was really morbid. But I’m being honest, we need more caution with Ariana than with your brother. If he gets angry, it’s expected, but she?” He shook his head.

“I know. But trust me, Ariana will accept it. She doesn’t hate you at all, so she’ll be more open to the idea of leaving with us.” 

“Let’s hope so,” Gellert murmured and suddenly a grin spread over his face. “Do you see anyone in sight?

“No,” Albus said, glancing around. He felt the hairs at the base of his head stand up when Gellert reached forward to caress his neck. 

“Good.” A sly smirk formed on Gellert’s face as he looked at Albus intently, his gaze falling to his mouth.

“We’re still in public.” Albus said, but didn’t move away. 

“So what? The risk of being caught makes it more fun,” Gellert said, his voice low and his accent thickening. “And even if they were to see it, I wouldn’t care. I just care about you.” 

Gellert leaned forward and gave Albus a quick peck on his lips, that could’ve easily become more passionate if Albus hadn’t pulled back immediately. If they were somewhere private, Albus would have responded eagerly - pulling Gellert close, running his fingers through Gellert’s hair, kissing him until those perfect full lips were swollen and slipping his hand under his shirt. But, out in the open was not the place for such things. 

Gellert snorted and put his arm around Albus’ shoulder as they continued walking.

“Maybe your brother was right and I really am shameless. If he only knew that I kiss you in broad daylight, among other things,” he purred, pressing a kiss to Albus’ cheekbone. 

Albus laughed. “Thank Merlin he doesn’t.”

*~*

 

On their way to the barn, they passed by the fields where Muggle farmers grew wheat to harvest in autumn. Now that they were far away from Godric’s Hollow, Gellert reached out and intertwined his fingers with Albus’. As Albus squeezed his hand back, he was reminded of the blood pact they had made a little over a week ago. His palm didn’t hurt too much anymore, now that the cut had mostly healed, but it was still a bit sore. They could have easily just healed their injuries with magic, but they had both agreed that letting the scars form would give the pact more meaning. 

Albus was the one who had suggested it, after Gellert expressed his worries about them potentially turning against one another. 

“ _I could never turn on you_ ,” Albus had said and took Gellert’s hands into his own. “ _How could you even think that_?”

“ _Don’t you know your own country’s Wizarding history? Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin had been friends their whole lives and what happened to them? What happened with Morgana and Guinevere and Merlin? That could happen to us too, Albus_ ,” Gellert explained, smiling sadly. 

“ _Why should it? What reason is there_?”

“ _I just have a feeling.... I saw_ —”

“ _You_ saw?”

“ _Yes, I dreamt it, one of those dreams. We were two generals on opposing sides of the battlefield, and there was so much war and bloodshed surrounding us_.” Gellert had taken a deep breath. “ _It felt as if it was the end of the world. We dueled, and it wouldn’t have mattered who won; either victor would have reigned over chaos and destruction_.”

Albus had fallen silent, deep in thought. A part of him knew that what Gellert had seen was merely a possible future, such was the way Seers’ visions worked. Yet the terror in Gellert’s voice frightened him to the bone.

“ _The Unbreakable Vow_ ,” he had whispered and Gellert’s eyes widened. “ _We have to swear to not fight each other_.” 

“ _The Unbreakable Vow is a one-way passage. Even if you were to turn on me… I couldn’t bare the thought of living in a world without you_ ,” Gellert had protested, frowning deeply. 

Albus had furrowed his brow in concentration until he recalled the passage he had read about blood magic earlier that day. “ _Wait, no. I have a better idea. We need to swear by blood….swear never to hurt each other. We need to make a blood pact_.”

The following day, they had gone to the barn after reading all they could about the specifics of blood binding. The text had made it explicitly clear that the pact could only work if the two wizards involved cared deeply for each other and both had the same intentions. If those two conditions were met, all they had to do was share their blood by pressing their cut palms together and recite their vows. Then, a vial would construct itself as the physical representation of their bond.

Albus’ excitement had knew no bounds as he cut into his own palm with his wand. His heart was beating in his chest like a bird fluttering against a cage, longing to break out and sing its song in freedom. 

As he pressed his bleeding hand against Gellerts’, it had felt as if fire was spreading through his veins. He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. The sensation was a mixture of both pain and pleasure, so powerful that it threatened to bring him to his knees. 

He felt the palm against his shift and Gellert’s fingers intertwined themselves with his, holding onto him as if his life depended on it. Albus heard Gellert’s own shaky breath as he recited the oath in his head.

_I hereby swear to never turn my wand against you with malevolent intent, as you are closer to me than those bonded to me through the water of the womb._

The fire started to spread throughout his body. Beads of sweat rolled over his temples and the only thing that tied him to the mortal world was the feeling of Gellert’s hand holding his. When he finally had the strength to open his eyes, he had no words for the image before him. 

Gellert, golden locks framing his face like a halo, his eyelids fluttering, cheeks tinged a soft red, biting on his full lower lip. His true equal in all matters and the only one who really knew and understood him, his feelings, desire for change and ideas. Albus had never seen something so beautiful in his entire life. When Gellert slowly opened his eyes, Albus couldn’t help but smile.

“ _You’re so breathtaking_ ,” Albus had whispered, his voice shaking as he reached out to caress Gellert’s cheek. 

“ _You’re one to talk, gorgeous_.” Gellert had replied softly and a sudden odd, pushing feeling between their laced fingers made them let go of each other. 

As they looked at their cut palms, something started to materialize from their blood and a small silver pendant was floating just above their hands, ornate and delicate. Albus reached out and took it, holding it between them so they could both study it closely.

“ _We did it_.” Gellert laughed, light and airy, and blinked tears out of his eyes. His hand moved to take the pendant but the moment their eyes met, Albus moved forward to kiss him hungrily. The next thing he knew, they were both bare and lying on the hay covered ground, exploring each other’s bodies as they kissed deeply. They didn’t stop until they brought each other over the edge, riding the joy of being magically bonded.

 

The second part of their path led them through the nearby forest. Around a month ago, they found an abandoned barn which likely had once belonged to Muggle farmers. The large lock on its door was heavily rusted, but not broken and nothing the _Alohomora_ charm couldn’t open. At first, they had used the barn for dueling practice; Gellert would cast a cooling charm within it to make it much more comfortable than outside. Then they started bringing their books and parchments in here, once they grew tired of being confined in each other’s rooms to do their research. It was their own private refuge, a little spot in the world reserved just for them. They even put Disillusionment charms on it so no one could see it except them. 

As they approached it, the doors automatically opened to allow them in and shut behind them. Here, they had come up with theories on how to emancipate the magical communities, in preparation for the abolition of the Statute; how Muggles could be integrated into the new society created by them; alliances with other magical species; how to deal with political dissidents, and much more. But the one they had talked about the most lately and which had shaped the plans for their immediate future, had been the Deathly Hallows.

The trail they had found to be the most likely to lead them to the Elder Wand was in France. The last known appearance of the wand on the British Isles had been in the very beginning of the 17th century. Its last known owner, a Breton Dark Wizard who went by the name Loxias, had reportedly resided in a castle which now laid in ruins, rumored by the local Muggles to be haunted. 

Reports of the Stone were much rarer on the other hand, and the trail thinned considerably after its first few appearances. Despite Gellert’s obsessive focus on the wand, he had helped Albus considerably with trying to find the Stone’s whereabouts, as the Peverell family line had died out decades ago. It was very difficult to find any leads; Albus thought that it might be because the owners of the stone prefered to not flaunt it, like Dark Wizards did with the Elder Wand.

“I had an idea last night, just before I went to bed. I would have sent it to you right away if I hadn’t fallen asleep the moment I put down my quill,” Gellert said. He pulled a piece of parchment out of his back pocket and sat down cross-legged on the ground.

“Aren’t we going to collect our things and such?” Albus asked, puzzled, as he sat down across from Gellert. 

His skin was tingling with the sudden desire to run back home and he forced himself to calm down. Everything was going to be just fine, he told himself; there was nothing he couldn’t convince Aberforth of and Ariana would be overjoyed at the thought of finally getting out of the house. With Gellert’s help, they would find a cure for her so she could live a normal life just like she deserved.

Albus straightened up and a blissful smile found its way onto his face. It would all go just exactly the way Gellert and he had envisioned; after the most important things were done (namely finding the wand, the stone and aiding his sister), they could begin their true work: gathering support and building the foundation for their revolution. Once they were in France — historically a much more enlightened country than England has ever been — they would look for sympathizers to their cause. Gellert had told him he had been exchanging letters with several witches and wizards in Europe; some were well known critics of the Statute while others were ordinary folk, but they were all open to meeting them.

“Here.” Gellert handed him the paper, full of his writing with the occasional side note scribbled down vertically to fit on the parchment. “I expanded this paragraph about how we’ll dissolve the Statue.” He pointed at a section near the bottom of the parchment and began to explain his writing. A few moments passed before Albus realized he hadn’t listened to a single word his friend had said, so deep he was in his own thoughts. He felt his cheeks redden in embarrassment. 

Gellert leaned back and sighed as he observed Albus. With Gellert, he always felt as if his thoughts and emotions were laid bare like an open book and vice versa; they understood each other to their cores. Gellert had no problem understanding what Albus was distracted by and gently took the paper away from him.

“Like I said, there’s no need to worry. Every little girl loves adventures, and what an adventure Ariana will go on with her big brother and her new friend!” His light tone and broad, confident smile didn’t have the desired effects of alleviation on Albus, who took a deep breath and held out his hand for Gellert to give him the parchment again.

“Let me see what you wrote.”

Gellert grinned and didn’t comply. “No. I think you need a distraction.”

“Well, then distract me by letting me see what you wrote. I probably have to alter it a bit, because your approach is always too radical.” 

Gellert chuckled, his smile widening as he gazed at Albus. 

“I don’t mean _that_ , silly; I was thinking about a different kind of distraction,” he said, crawling behind Albus and starting to gently massage his upper back, “You need to relax, _kedvesem_.” 

His breath tickled Albus’ ear and Albus shivered lightly. He loved it when Gellert talked to him in one of his native languages, as his voice would change ever so slightly. When he spoke German, it became deeper and in Hungarian, it became soothing like a song. 

Albus hummed contently and stretched his neck to one side when Gellert’s hand worked on a kink between his shoulder blades.

“Feeling a bit better?” Gellert’s voice was a whisper in his ear and he nodded, focused only on the hands on his back. 

“You always know what to do to make me feel good.” 

“I aim to please.” 

One of Gellert’s hands moved away from his back and ran down his arm. Albus moved his hand to meet him halfway and their hands intertwined, just like they had done days ago during what Albus considered to be one of the most important moments of his life.

Gellert laughed quietly as Albus visibly shivered at his touch, and leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek. He let go of Albus’ back and gently pulled on his shoulder to have him turn around, something to which Albus obliged more than gladly. Gellert stroked his hair while smiling at him, before he moved to close the space between them. 

Albus responded keenly and felt Gellert cup his face, caressing it as he slowly kissed and nipped at his lips. They only broke apart to catch their breath, Albus running his thumb over Gellert’s red and swollen bottom lip. Gellert kissed his finger and then pulled Albus to him, slipping his tongue between his lips and his free hand went on to stroke Albus’ inner thigh. While a low voice at the back of Albus’ mind was telling him to let go and indulge in the moment, a louder one was scolding him for continuing to delay the confrontation. Albus suddenly squirmed away from Gellert’s touch and Gellert hesitantly pulled back. 

“Is it troubling you _that much_?” he asked, his voice coarse and brows furrowed skeptically.

“I… we have enough time for this when we’re in France, don’t we? In an actual room, with a bed and all that,” Albus said, meeting Gellert’s eyes shyly. 

Gellert sighed overdramatically. “I suppose you’re right.” He snorted. “At least I will not find hay in my undergarments like last time.”

He laughed heartily and Albus felt his spirits lift enough to join him.

Even though they could’ve easily used magic to organize their materials, they decided to do it manually instead. They organized their research into three piles, from most important to least important. 

As they were going through the pages. he would, as in the previous weeks, sometimes feel Gellert’s gaze on him and catch him looking at him with an expression that could only be described as adoration. Whenever that happened, blotchy red spots appeared on Gellert’s face and he looked away and pretended he was busy reading the parchment in front of him, but Albus knew better.

It took them much longer than they imagined, and Albus realized just how much time he and Gellert had spent together drafting plans on how to change the Wizarding— no, the _entire_ world, and suddenly felt very proud. There was nothing that could stand between them, their brilliance and their goal of a better tomorrow. The sacrifices they had to make would be nothing compared to the good they were going to do.

 

Albus casted “ _Capacious extremis_!” onto a bag, so that everything they were going to bring back to Godric’s Hollow would fit into it. Meanwhile, Gellert had pointed his wand at the ‘least important’ pile and whispered an incantation. Instantly, the parchments went up in flames and Albus almost dropped the bag. 

“When I said I’d get rid of it, I meant I was going to burn it - can’t have anyone knowing about our plans,” Gellert explained with a grin. He watched as the stack turned to ash and the smell of smoke stung in Albus’ nose. 

“As long as we don’t burn the barn, we should be fine,” he stated and swung the bag over his shoulder.

“Oh, I thought that was what we were about to do! After all, do the Muggles really need this barn? They seem to be fine with us using it.”

“Very funny, Gellert. Now, let’s go, it’s almost evening and I haven’t packed yet.”

“You’re saying that as if it will take you more than three minutes. Or two.”

Albus’ eyes narrowed with annoyance as he looked at Gellert, too preoccupied to appreciate his sarcasm. Gellert remained unfazed by this and simply grinned. 

“You should learn to be a lot less British and work on your sense of humor, _Liebster_ ,” he said cheerfully. “Wait outside for me, I’m almost done.” 

Nodding, Albus left the barn and stood in the afternoon sun’s warm glow, waiting for Gellert to join him. He did shortly and they both started lifting the Disillusionment charms on the barn. Once they were finished, they made their way back through the forest.

As they walked and talked together, Albus didn’t know what feeling within him was stronger; his anticipation for their departure or the dread at the upcoming confrontation with his brother.

**Author's Note:**

> Some translations:
> 
> "Meine Güte" - German for "my goodness"  
> "kedvesem" - Hungarian for "my dear(est)"; thank you to Ivett aka isabellaofparma on Tumblr for the correct word!  
> "Liebster" - German for "my dearest/beloved" when refering to a man - this language sure does looooove gendering
> 
> Just a heads up: I'm aiming for 10 chapters and for the fic to be finished before the end of summer considering my immense workload at uni and preparation for my academic year abroad. So if I happen to not publish a new chapter for weeks, it doesn't mean I have abandoned this work (in that case, I will say so in the description.)
> 
>  
> 
> Feedback and constructive critism is, as always, more than welcome!


End file.
